Reunion
by crazykitsune17
Summary: Sequel to Kurama's Stalker. Ten years later, the Reikai Tantei reunite to help defeat the evil Kakugai from reaching his goal of taking down the Tantei. Will the group succeed... with all members still intact? Chapters 7 of 20.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Here it is! The long-awaited "sequel" to "Kurama's Stalker"! Sorry it took me so long to get it up here; I've been having some technical and laziness problems. Actually, this isn't really a sequel, because you can read this without having ever read "Kurama's Stalker", and it still makes sense. Of course, you can always read "Kurama's Stalker" for an even better grasp of the story… haha. Anyway, this story is a bit different from the original "Kurama's Stalker" – a bit more depth and plot-ness in it, kinda like my story "The End of the World" only better (I'm not kidding!). This is more of an Action/Adventure type of story. Hope you like it, and sorry for the wait! Please review!

* * *

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, or anything that has to do with Yu Yu Hakusho, nor do I own a laptop, which I want very very badly. Along with rights to YYH. THEN EVERYBODY CAN BE OOC! Just kidding. The day I own YYH is the day the world is doomed.

**THE NEXT DAY**

Some Guy: Here, CK. You can take all the rights to YYH.

CK: O.O; SWEET!

**THE NEXT DAY**

Everybody on earth is being forced to watch YYH. The animators and guys who work on the show are following my orders and pairing up Hiei and Kurama and turning the show into a very violent melodrama with random outbursts of "CHEESE!" and "MOOSE!". The world as we know it, is forever doomed…

**END**

By the way, that never happened…

* * *

**Reunion**

_by crazykitsune17

* * *

_

**1. The Affluent, the Poor, the Reclusive, the Solitary, and the Royal**

A/N: By the way, my chapter names really suck… as usual… :(

* * *

It had been ten years since the end-of-the-year dance at Black Panda High School, and now the Reikai Tantei had split up to live happily with their partners. Ever since the dance, the couples had stayed the same. Of course, there had been breakups here and there, but fate was a stronger glue than temporary angry feelings toward ex-girl-or-boyfriends. The end result after nearly a decade was just as perfect as the day they had the dance.

Nowadays, however, the group had disbanded, as there was no need for a Spirit Detective Team anymore. The Makai and Ningenkai were more or less at peace with each other, or if they weren't, they were just plainly ignoring each other. Koenma, Prince of the Spirit World, had decided to let the team go their separate ways and start their families, which some did right away, yet others were still waiting.

Kurama, who was now permanently called Suichi Minamino except by the rest of the Reikai Tantei, had married his love and previous stalker, Keiko Yukimura, a few years ago. They lived in a part of Tokyo where the wealthier families of Japan resided. Kurama was a Registered Nurse at the local hospital, and Keiko was a teacher's assistant at a very prestigious private academy for gifted students. They were both very happy living in their fairly large house, and they were friends with just about all of the neighbors. They were a very likeable family, and they were invited to just about every block party that was thrown.

There was one thing, however, that the happy couple had yet to do. They still had no children, as they wanted to get off to a good start on their careers before they brought a child into their lives. But with both of them in their mid-twenties, Kurama being twenty-six and Keiko being twenty-five, they thought it was high time they had a child.

"Suichi," Keiko said one night as the two were having dinner.

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking…" Keiko started, playing around with the spaghetti on her plate, "And Suichi… I want to have children…"

Kurama's face broke out into a smile. "Really?" he said. "That's great!"

Keiko smiled too, her face flushing with color a little bit. "Whenever you feel ready," Kurama said, always respecting Keiko and not wanting to rush her into anything, though he wanted very much to have children.

"Okay…"

* * *

In Spennymoor, England, a young, poor, married couple lived in an old run-down duplex on the outskirts. The young couple, Yusuke Urameshi and his wife, Botan, had been married for about six years, and they had two children. However, the children didn't live with them. After having their second child, Yusuke and Botan had to send their two children, Michiru, age five, and Talya, age three, both girls, to live with their friend, Luna Minamino, Kurama's unmarried sister. Yusuke didn't have a job at the time; he had gotten kicked out of his last job at Burger Queen for assaulting a customer and punching his face because he ordered a Big Quack instead of a Whupper. Botan, however, had a job at a department store, earning the only income they had to pay for food and rent. When the day came to pay the rent, though, they never seemed to have enough.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kohner," Botan apologized profoundly to the landlord, "but we just don't have the money to pay for the rent this month! Yusuke got kicked out of his last job, so now we hardly have enough money for food, let alone rent, sir. Please, have pity on us!"

"I'm sorry, Ms. Urameshi, but you know the rules. You have to pay your rent every month, or you're outta here. We can't afford to keep riffraff like that here!" Mr. Kohner the landlord argued.

"No! Please, sir, you _can't_ kick us out!" Botan begged. "Please, next time, we'll pay the rent for two months! Just give us a chance; Yusuke will get a job, and then we can pay!"

The landlord seemed to be thinking it over. "All right," he said at last but with a frown on his heavily wrinkled face. "I'll let you go just this once. But next month, you better make up for it by giving me both that month's rent payment as well as this one."

"Yes, sir." Botan bowed.

The landlord left. Botan turned to Yusuke, who was sitting in the kitchen, his feet propped up on the scratched-up wooden table.

"Well?" Yusuke inquired.

"We can stay for another month," Botan replied wearily. "But I told Mr. Kohner that we'd make up for it next month by paying for both this month and next month's rent!"

"_What_? Botan, we don't have that kind of money!" Yusuke cried, his feet slipping off the table.

"I know," Botan said sadly. "But maybe if you got another job…"

"Forget it, Botan," Yusuke said. "I'm not good enough for a real job, and any other job I get, I just get kicked out of!" Yusuke was angry that he couldn't find a job that suited his interests anywhere. In his second year of high school, he became fed up with it and dropped out. His mother, Atsuko, refused to let him sit around her house all day and kicked him out to live on his own. Shortly after, he decided to run away with Botan. Koenma had let him take Botan to get married; after all, he had Yukina and his many other staff members, so he didn't really need Botan around the office. She was happy with Yusuke, even though he was a high school dropout without a job, and Koenma was happy for her if she was happy.

Botan wrapped her arms around Yusuke's neck and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Let's not worry about it right now," she whispered. "Let's just forget about our troubles for now…"

"Forget?" Yusuke inquired. "Botan, you do know what day it is, don't you?"

Botan's face looked blank for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Remember, the kids are coming over to visit today."

Botan's face paled. "Yusuke, we don't have any money to spend on them! No food, anything!"

"I know. That's the problem."

"Oh, Yusuke…" Botan wailed, pressing her face against her lover's. "What are we going to do…?

* * *

In the city of Aomori, Japan, there lived a family of three. Very few people knew who they were, and those who did know weren't even human. Hiei and Shizuru Kuwabara (they had kept Shizuru's last name, since Hiei didn't have one, although Hiei was very reluctant to take the surname of his archenemy) and their nine-year-old son, Samaru, lived in a secluded, country-esque area in northern area of the city, surrounded by sakura trees. Shizuru was unemployed, and Samaru was home-schooled by his mother; Hiei made all the money in the family so they could afford food and material items.

Hiei worked a lot in the Makai. He was the business leader of a group of ragtag demon thieves called the "Black Thunder". This group of demon thieves were very skilled and intelligent, earning them the title of "The Best and Most Feared Thieves in Makai". With Hiei as their "manager", he took and distributed the money that they thieves made after selling their stolen items on the human black market. It wasn't a lot of money that they made, but it was enough to keep everyone satisfied.

One member of the Black Thunder, a shape-shifting demon named Sanyo, was a professional assassin as well as thief. One dark night, Sanyo asked Hiei to do something he had been planning for a while…

* * *

"_Hiei-sama," Sanyo hissed in a dark forest deep in the Makai. _

"_What is it?" Hiei replied monotonously._

"_Hiei-sama, I need your permission," Sanyo said._

"_To do what?" Hiei wanted to get home to his family, and he didn't have time to pay attention to his thieves. _

"_As you know, I'm an assassin," Sanyo started._

"_Tell me something I don't know, Sanyo. You're wasting my time."_

"_Sorry, master. But, I would like to have your permission to take some time off—"_

"_What for? Vacation? No."_

"_No, sir, not vacation. Business. I want to kill our rival."_

"_Rival?" Hiei questioned._

"_The best thief in the Makai next to us," Sanyo replied. "Can I kill him?"_

"_Who?" Hiei asked, ruby eyes narrowing. He shook his head. "Ah, never mind, it doesn't matter. Fine, go ahead, just don't take too long." He glanced up at the moon above in annoyance, irritated that he wasn't sitting at home yet._

_Sanyo broke out into an evil smile. "Yes, sir. It won't take long at all…"

* * *

_

Kazuma Kuwabara, age twenty-five, locked up Dobinz Prison in Eastern Massachusetts. He had moved to America after his sister left off with Hiei. He was unmarried, but shared an apartment with a couple of kittens who were very friendly. In America, he was a prison guard at one of the most heavily-guarded prisons in New England. Dobinz Prison was full of convicted murderers, robbers, and rapists, and every day had something new for Kuwabara to deal with. His job was to lock up the cells, break up fights, and occasionally serve the prison food if needed. He was happy with his job; it was never boring. Especially since a group of new prisoners came in. New prisoners were always fun at Dobinz…

"Hey! Watch it, buster, that's my bran muffin you're shoving in your pocket! Don't think I wouldn't notice that, now gimme back my food!"

"I don't think so, fatty! You don't need no stinkin' bran muffin anyway!"

"Yeah? Well yo momma don't need it, either!"

"Whatchoo say abou' my momma?"

"Yo momma so fat even Bill Gates couldn't pay for her liposuction!"

"Oh, oh, so it's a joke-off, you want, mister? Well, bring it on!"

The two new prisoners were circling each other, glaring each other down with looks of intense hatred in their beady little eyes. Kuwabara then stepped in between the two of them, waving his nightstick at them, yelling, "Break it up, break it up! Both of your mommas are so stupid, they gave birth to you shitbags! Go back to your tables!"

Kuwabara walked away from that fight, shaking his head and chuckling under his breath. _Never a dull moment here…

* * *

_

_ONE WEEK LATER…

* * *

_

"Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama!"

In the Spirit World, Reikai, Koenma sat in his office, stamping papers as usual. While the rest of the Reikai Tantei had changed so much, Koenma stayed the same. He was still Prince of the Spirit World, still stamping papers all day long, and he still had that annoying blue ogre, Jorge Saotome, as his personal assistant. The only different thing was that Yukina had been added to the royal family. The two of them had gotten officially married about five years ago, and now they both lived in Reikai. Yukina had taken over Botan's job as a grim reaper since Botan had left to marry Yusuke.

"Koenma-sama! Koenma-sama!" Koenma's ogre was shouting.

Koenma shifted his papers and looked up at the frantic ogre. "What is it?" he asked, annoyed.

"Here," the ogre handed Koenma a piece of paper with Yukina's handwriting on it. "It's from Yukina, and I don't think it's a love note, sir."

Koenma glared at the ogre, then broke the seal on the envelope and read the letter. His eyes widened. "A… demon…" he gasped. "Escaped… from a human prison…"

"It's been a while since we had trouble with demons, hasn't it sir?"

"Yes. A very long time…" Koenma set the letter down on the desk. "I wonder… why now…?"

"Maybe we should get the old Spirit Detective Team back together for this," the ogre suggested.

Koenma wasn't sure if he wanted to do that or not. He knew that the team all had families to take care of and important jobs to go to. Maybe the demon was just a weakling and one he could get rid of with someone else. "We'll see," he said, putting the letter back inside its envelope and putting it into a desk drawer. "If worst comes to worst, we_ will_ bring out the Reikai Tantei once more…"

* * *

A/N: And that was the prologue. Woop, woop, interesting, I know. Please review, the story gets better, of course! We're only on chapter one! Again, thanks for waiting, sorry about taking forever to get this up here… PLEASE REVIEW!

* * *

NEXT TIME – SANYO'S ESCAPE AND AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE!

* * *

-crazykitsune17-


	2. Sanyo's Escape & an Unpleasant Surprise

A/N: Okay, I'm forewarning you now. SHORT CHAPTERS AHEAD! I'll try to remember to update quicker, but I'm in my "reclusive Internet geek" stage of life (again) so I'll be spending a lot more time on fanfiction and the like. Oh, and thanks, my reviewers for your wonderful reviews of wonderfulness. n.n Hearts and flowers all around! XD Please make a lonesome author happy with more reviews. :D

* * *

**2. Sanyo's Escape and an Unpleasant Surprise

* * *

**

Sanyo was a professional bandit and assassin of the group of demon thieves called the "Black Thunder". A week prior to today, he had left the demon realm to kill their greatest enemy – The Best Thief in Makai.

However, before he had gone to do his dirty deed, he had gotten arrested and put into a dinky human prison in Massachusetts called Dobinz. Once he had gotten through to the human world, Ningenkai, he had viciously slaughtered an innocent young man who called him "ugly". Apparently, that was against the law in the U.S., so as a consequence, he got sent to prison…

Within the evening of his incarceration, he had escaped. Easily. It was no big deal for a demon as powerful as he was. It was just a simple matter of blasting the wall of his cell apart and killing all of the outdoor guards…

As he ran behind the bushes in upper-class Tokyo (it had taken him all of minutes to reach Japan from the United States), he was thinking of the task at hand. _Kill our enemy… kill the best thief in Makai_… He jumped behind a bush in a small little neighborhood and looked across the street. There it was – his target. The big, white mansion with two floors and a basement, a flower bed in the front yard, and an even bigger garden in the back. A nicely-mowed lawn, clean sidewalk, large trees, shingled roof, two-car garage… _That's the one, all right… It's time to put my plan in action…

* * *

_

Kurama sat down in the nurse's lounge, writing up a report for the other nurses coming in for the next shift. His pen flowed across the paper, making neat letters and symbols. He checked his watch. _I have to hurry up_… he thought. _Keiko's going to be mad if I come home late again.._ He capped his pen and put it in the mahogany pencilbox in front of him. He left the report on the table and removed his thin, silver-framed reading glasses, sticking them in his coat pocket. He grabbed his bag and said good-bye to the other nurses in the room.

He set his bag into his new, silver Audi and got into the driver's seat. Turning the key in the ignition, he started up the vehicle and set off for home.

* * *

Kurama parked his car in the garage and walked up the steps leading to the entryway. He unlocked the door and swung it open, ready to apologize to his wife for being late.

Keiko was already waiting for him. But she was not waiting willingly… Her neck was tied with a thick rope, and the rope was tied around one of the blades on the ceiling fan. Her face was deathly pale, and her eyes were blank, staring into nothing. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth to her chin, and there were cuts and scratches on her face, as well as a stab wound in her chest, where blood was coagulating sickeningly. Her casual home outfit was stained with blood and torn in a few places. There was large, bloody gash on both of her arms, which hung limply at her sides. Her legs, for the most part, had been unharmed, but blood from between her fingertips leaked through and ran down their pale, bare skin. There was a dark puddle of blood beneath her feet, staining the pristine beige carpet. Keiko was dead.

Kurama dropped his bag and gasped. _Keiko…_ He couldn't speak. He felt paralyzed, and the only thing he could do was stare at the bloody, lifeless corpse of his deceased lover, Keiko. He began to feel lightheaded and nauseous, and the last thing he remembered was falling to the floor in a dead faint.

* * *

A/N: Dun dun dun, zomgwad. Keiko's dead. Review, please; sorry 'bout the shortness!

* * *

NEXT TIME – "RANSOM"!

* * *

-crazykitsune17- 


	3. Ransom

A/N: Yes, yes, I know it's been AGES, and I apologize. I've been busy… but that's such a cliché excuse, even though it's true… / Again, my apologies. As possible compensation, I have posted not one, but TWO ridiculously short chapters… so do please try to enjoy. Reviews NECESSARY (just kidding, but they would be nice :) )!

* * *

**3. Ransom

* * *

**

"Koenma-sama!" Yukina's voice rang out through the hallways of Spirit World. She politely shoved a few ogres out of her way and burst through the doors that led to Koenma's office. "Koenma!"

It was only about 18 hours ago that Koenma had received her note about a demon escaping from a human prison. He had had a few of his other assistants do research on the demon, but they were having a very hard time of it. The demon was obviously not your average petty criminal.

"Koenma-sama!" Yukina said breathlessly. "I've got news on the demon that escaped."

"Good," said Koenma, taking the letter that Yukina handed him. He tore it open and read over the dark ink print. He gasped, then re-read it again.

"What does it say? I didn't read it," asked Yukina.

"'To Koenma, My name is Kakugai, and I have a request to ask of you. I would like a member of your Spirit Detective Team, Kurama, to come to my fortress in northern Alaska by midnight tonight. If he does not arrive, I will make sure that you and Kurama are severely punished. Kakugai'," Koenma read aloud.

"My… this is awful sudden," Yukina noted.

"Yes, it is…"

"I wonder why they want Kurama…?"

"Not for a tea party, I'm sure," Koenma replied dryly. "It's obviously some kind of trap."

"We should notify Kurama."

"At once," agreed Koenma. "But this letter seems a little suspicious. We should gather the rest of the team."

"Of course."

"Let's go, Yukina."

* * *

NEXT TIME – ARRIVAL!

* * *

-crazykitsune17-


	4. Arrival

A/N: Whee, long chapter with crappy transitions of DOOM! I'm sorry, but I'm too lazy to fix them, even though I got rid of most of them… Eh. Please review! o.o

* * *

**4. Arrival**

"Yukina, go out and tell the team to come up here immediately. Drag them if you have to," Koenma ordered up in Reikai. "I have to stay here for a while longer and get some more information on this Kakugai person…"

"I understand," said Yukina with a bow. "I'll be back shortly."

* * *

_Dobinz Prison, Massachusetts, USA_

The search for the escaped prisoner, Sanyo, was still continuing. Kazuma Kuwabara had been blamed for his escape, as he was the only one left alive that night.

"It makes sense, doesn't it?" said one of the policemen investigating the case. "This Kuwabara guy is guilty. If he were innocent, he would've most likely been dead. The escapee wouldn't want to leave any evidence."

"Could be an accomplice," suggested his partner.

"I'm telling you, I'm innocent!" yelled Kuwabara angrily. "I was in the crapper at the time the prisoner escaped!"

"Yeah, sure," said another cop, a portly one with a donut in his hand. He leaned back against a desk and dunked his pastry in his coffee.

"But—"

Kuwabara was suddenly saved by Yukina, who came bursting into the door of the police station. Kuwabara and the policemen all turned to stare at the panting, out-of-breath ice apparition-turned-royalty standing in their doorway. Kuwabara's eyes lit up, remembering a time almost ten years ago when he was in love with this woman. After ten years of being apart, Yukina still looked the same – beautiful as ever – and Kuwabara recognized her immediately.

"Yukina-chan!" he shouted.

"You know this lady?" asked the chubby cop.

"Hey, lady, what are you doing here?" the other cop questioned.

"I'm very sorry, but I can't really talk to you," Yukina said apologetically with a bow, "but I need to take Kazuma-san. It's important!" She grabbed Kuwabara's wrist and tugged him out of the police station.

"Hey, lady! You can't do that!" shouted the skinny cop, grabbing his nightstick.

"I'll bet she's guilty too," said the fat cop, spilling some coffee on himself. "She's got a look of malice, don't she?"

* * *

"Thanks for getting me out of the police station," Kuwabara said as the two of them floated off into the air Yukina's new Spirit World transportion oar. "But what was so important that you needed to tell me?"

"I'll tell you in a minute, Kazuma-san," said Yukina, as she piloted her oar over the Atlantic Ocean. "I've got to get the others first."

"Others?"

"Remember the old Reikai Tantei?" Yukina asked. "Yusuke, Kurama, Hiei…"

"Ohhh… them… yeah," said Kuwabara as it dawned on him. "The old crowd. Yeah, I remember them. Wonder what they're all doin'… Hey! Why are we all getting together? Is this like a class reunion?"

"You could say that," said Yukina. "But a bitter one. We've got problems."

"Problems?"

"Yes, now hush for awhile while I get Yusuke."

"Oh, boy, old Urameshi! I haven't seen him in a long time! Heh, I bet I could still beat him up!"

Yukina shook her head with a smile as she piloted the broom to a ramshackle duplex in Spennymoor, England. She let Kuwabara wait on it, then walked into the house.

* * *

Yukina looked around and spotted Botan in the kitchen, cooking something on a stove. Two children, a six-year-old with blondish-white hair and a three-year-old with blue hair, ran around shrieking over the wooden floor paneling of the lower floor near Botan.

As the door clicked shut behind Yukina, Botan turned around from her cooking and noticed Yukina standing in the doorway. She nearly dropped her stirring spoon in surprise. "Yukina!" she gasped.

"Botan!"

The two girls ran at each other, embracing in a tight hug. "My goodness, I haven't seen you in forever!" Botan exclaimed as she played with Yukina's hair. "Oh, you haven't changed a bit! How are things with Koenma?"

Yukina smiled. "Things are great with Koenma-sama, Botan. I see you've changed…" Yukina peeked behind Botan and pointed to her significantly larger rear end.

"Yeah…" Botan laughed, scratching the back of her neck. "Having some kids put a little weight on me." Yukina laughed too. "I had Koenma turn me into a human so I could live with Yusuke forever," Botan went on. "I love him, but it's hard, since he doesn't have a job…" Botan sighed.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Yukina. "Are these two your children?" she asked, pointing at the screaming children.

"Yes," replied Botan. "The older one with brown hair is Michiru, she's six, and the younger one with blue hair is Talya – she's three."

"They're so adorable!" Yukina exclaimed. "They look just like their mother!"

"Oh, gosh, let's hope not!" said Botan, lifting up her shirt a little to show her less-than-flat stomach. "I don't want them to be fat like me!"

"You're not fat!" said Yukina with a smile.

"So… what brings you here, Yukina?" Botan asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, right," said Yukina. "I was actually wondering, is Yusuke home?"

"Um, yeah," said Botan. "He's in the other room, watching TV." She turned around and hollered into another room. "Hey, Yusuke! Get your behind over here now!"

Yusuke came out from the other room, wearing a pair of faded, ripped jeans and a white T-shirt. His hair wasn't slicked back like it was when he was a teenager; instead it was cut short, spiked in random places, and very messy. He crushed a can of beer and chucked it into a trash can nearby. "What is it?" he asked grumpily.

"Good evening, Yusuke," said Yukina politely.

"Woah, it's you!" said Yusuke. "Yukina, right?"

"Yes, you're right. I'm very sorry to intrude on you and everything, but I need to take you with me up to Spirit World to talk with Koenma. It's extremely important!"

"Koenma?" Yusuke questioned. "Is he still suckin' on a pacifier?"

"That's not important," said Yukina curtly. "Just come on, we have to hurry and get Kurama and Hiei!"

"Kurama and Hiei? What is this, a reunion?"

Yukina didn't answer. She turned to Botan instead and said, "I'm sorry, Botan, but I'll have to take your man for a while."

"Oh, that's no problem," said Botan sadly. "Nice seeing you, again, Yukina…"

* * *

Near the secluded house in the forest where Hiei, Shizuru, and their son Samaru lived, a flying oar with three people riding on it flew over the trees, whistling with the wind. Inside the house, Shizuru was helping Samaru study, when he looked up from his notes and stared into Shizuru's eyes with his light periwinkle ones.

"Someone's coming," he said softly.

"Okay, Samaru," replied Shizuru. Like his mother, Samaru had a sharp sixth sense and could even come very close in predicting the future. Samaru was nine years old, almost four feet tall, with whitish-grey choppy hair and periwinkle eyes. While he looked almost nothing like his parents, he had inherited some of their powers. Mostly psychic ones like Shizuru, but he had some fire abilities, like his father, though he didn't use them often. Samaru was kind of a disappointment to Hiei, since he didn't like fighting and mostly just sat around the house all day staring into space. He showed almost no interest in anything, as a matter of fact. He normally kept to himself and didn't speak much. When he did, it was usually a psychic prediction – a correct one.

"Daddy can greet him."

"It's a her," corrected Samaru.

"Right."

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"That's her," said Samaru.

"Daddy will get it…"

"He's busy. He's not going to talk to her. But he needs to. Daddy is going to be taken away from us."

Shizuru sighed and put down her teacher's book. She crossed the main room to the front door and opened it, finding Yukina standing on their doormat.

"Um… hello?" Shizuru greeted her.

"Shizuru, hello!" said Yukina. "It's me, Yukina. Remember me?"

"Not really, but it doesn't matter," said Shizuru. "What do you want?"

"Is Hiei around?"

"He's in the backyard doing something," Shizuru replied. "Why? Have you come to take him?" she asked, remembering what Samaru had said.

"Um… actually, yes," said Yukina, looking down. "I'm sorry, but it's really important!

Shizuru sighed. "Whatever, just make sure he doesn't drink too much beer and is back before next Tuesday."

"Right," said Yukina, laughing at Shizuru's sarcastic humor. She disappeared into the backyard and immediately spotted Hiei, who hadn't changed at all in the past ten years. "Hiei!" she called.

Hiei turned around from the large grassy field and made eye contact with his royal sister. "Yukina," he said, giving her a nod of acknowledgement.

"How's my favorite brother?" Yukina asked with a smile.

"He's been better, but that doesn't matter. What do you want?" Hiei asked.

"What's wrong?" Yukina asked with concern.

"It's nothing," said Hiei bitterly. "None of your concern, now what did you want?"

"Um, I need to take you away for a while," Yukina said. "It's tremendously important, and you need to come now."

"And what if I don't?" Hiei asked, being difficult as usual. (_Some things never change…_ though Yukina.)

Yukina sighed in frustration. "Just come on, please!" she snapped, grabbing Hiei's wrist and dragging him off to where Yusuke and Kuwabara were waiting on her flying oar. Hiei couldn't argue with his sister; he let himself be dragged by her. After all, Yukina was now royalty, how could he disobey her?

"Hey, Hiei," said Yusuke, waving jovially.

Hiei groaned. Kuwabara was with him. He took a seat on the oar between Yusuke and Yukina, not saying a word to either of them. "Off to Kurama's now," Yukina said as she took off into the air again.

"Daddy is gone," Samaru said inside the house. "I don't know if he's coming back."

"Oh, Samaru, of course he's coming back!" said Shizuru, hugging her son close. "He always comes back…"

* * *

"Wow, nice digs," said Yusuke approvingly as Yukina landed in front of Kurama's house. "Much better than our dump…"

"Not even Dobinz Prison is as nice as Kurama's house!" Kuwabara commented.

"You work at a prison, not a five-star hotel," Yusuke said sardonically.

"Yeah, but still…"

As Yukina went up to ring the doorbell, she suddenly stopped short. Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Hiei all heard her scream as she stood in the doorway. The three of them all hopped off her oar and ran over to her side.

"What's the matter?" Yusuke questioned, but he didn't need Yukina to respond before he could figure it out. Kurama was lying unconscious on the floor, still in his nurse's uniform, and Keiko was hanging from the ceiling fan, dead, blood dripping from her arms and onto the floor. "Oh, my God…"

"K-Keiko! What happened to her!" shouted Kuwabara, pointing at Keiko's death-pale corpse hanging in midair. Hiei didn't say anything. He just drank in the scene – an obvious murder – and looked down at Kurama on the floor. He must have fainted after he had seen his wife's body garroted and hung from a ceiling fan.

Yukina knelt down and gently caressed Kurama's face, bringing him into consciousness. He blinked, staring into Yukina's scarlet eyes.

"Kurama," she said softly. "Kurama, what happened here?"

Kurama didn't say anything. He mumbled a few incoherent words and slumped forward into Yukina's chest. "Kurama, what's happened!" Yukina repeated sharply, lifting his face out of her chest. "I know this is a shock to you, about Keiko, but you need to tell me what happened."

"I don't know…" Kurama whispered, his hands shaking. "I only walked in… and she… was dead…" His eyes widened like a frightened child as he shook slightly on the floor. Yukina stood up and took his hand, helping him stand up as well. "It's all right," she said soothingly. "But I need to bring you to Spirit World to see Koenma. He has something important to tell all of you."

"But Keiko—"

"We will worry about her when we get there."

* * *

"What is this?" Koenma asked, slamming down a piece of paper on his desk. "First the demon escaping, now this?"

"This has nothing to do with the demon escaping!" said Jorge the ogre, pointing at the paper. "It's just a report from one of the other girls on who's recently died!"

"Oh," said Koenma, picking up the paper again, calmer this time.

"See, you should actually _read_ the paper before you go yelling at me," Jorge said reprovingly.

"Shut up, ogre." Koenma's eyes scanned the list of names; nobody he knew. But then, at the bottom of the list, was a familiar name – Keiko Yukimura-Minamino. "What…? She's… dead?"

* * *

"Koenma, we're here!" said Yukina, opening the doors to Koenma's office and revealing the newly reunited Spirit Detective Team.

"Good, good," said Koenma distractedly. He caught sight of Kurama, still a little shocked and dazed from earlier. He glanced down again at the list of recent deaths and saw Keiko again. He wondered if Kurama knew she was dead… "Uh… Kurama… I've got some bad news…"

"I know she's dead," he said in a hollow whisper. "Just please tell us the other news."

"Okay," Koenma sighed. "You all might want to be sitting down…"

"Just tell us," said Hiei. "I'm getting impatient."

"Okay, well… there's another demon on the loose—"

"A demon!" exclaimed Kuwabara. "We haven't heard from a demon in like… forever!"

"I know," said Koenma. "And… he wants Kurama to come to his fortress in northern Alaska by midnight. This demon – his name is Kakugai – sounds like a real big threat, so I've decided to send not just Kurama, but the entire Spirit Detective Team to said fortress."

"I wonder why he wants Kurama?" Kuwabara wondered out loud. Everybody else wondered as well…

"Well, we should get going soon!" said Yukina, glancing at her watch. It was almost 8:00. "We don't want to be late for our… meeting… with this guy…"

"Right," said Koenma. "I hope everybody's brought their wits with them. This new demon is probably no pushover. Let's go."

* * *

A few hours later, the group was ready to enter the enchanted fortress in northern Alaska. The fortress seemed to be made of all ice and was very beautiful. But what evil lay inside…?

"All right. This is it," said Koenma. "We're here."

* * *

NEXT TIME – SAMARU'S WARNING!

* * *

-crazykitsune17-


	5. Samaru's Warning

A/N: If you haven't forgotten about this story or are new to it, enjoy the fifth, ridiculously short chapter!

**5. Samaru's Warning**

"Samaru, it's getting late," Shizuru said, walking into Samaru's bedroom at around 9:30pm. "What are you still doing up?"

Samaru didn't answer. He continued to stare out the window into the midnight blue sky. Shizuru was used to this; Samaru rarely talked if he could help it. It was just his nature, like it was Hiei's nature to be left alone most of the time. Shizuru wasn't disappointed by her family's lack of social skills, though. She loved her husband and her son dearly.

"Samaru, you should go to bed soon," Shizuru said.

Samaru turned around, his periwinkle eyes locking onto Shizuru's brown ones. "Daddy is in trouble," he said in his soft, mysterious voice. "He will be hurt."

Shizuru was taken aback. "What are you talking about, Samaru?" she asked, sitting down on his bed next to him.

"On his mission," Samaru repeats. "Daddy will get hurt."

Before Shizuru could say anything else, Samaru went back to staring out the window and didn't answer any more of her questions. Shizuru gave up and left him alone to stare at the dark night sky, her mind clouded with worry. _Hiei… be careful… _

---

Botan was stuck all alone in the rundown duplex in England, nobody to help her take care of her two children, Michiru and Talya. There was no food in the cupboards, and almost nothing in the whole house for the kids to play with. _After living with Luna Minamino for a long time, they're probably bored out of their minds_, Botan thought sadly as her two kids sat on the floor and played some kind of clapping game.

Botan sighed as she watched her kids play. _With Yusuke not around to take care of the kids during the day, I can't go to work,_ Botan thought with panic. _I can't leave the kids at home by themselves, but if I don't work, we don't get any money… And we already don't have any food… Oh, what am I going to do?_ Botan's shoulders drooped and she let her hair fall over her face as she sighed again. _What a fine mess this is. I hope Yusuke gets back soon…_

_But Yusuke's missions almost always take a long time… A week at least, if not more…_ Botan's discouraging thoughts stampeded through her brain like a pack of wild gazelles. _This all just feels so hopeless…_ A single tear rolled down Botan's cheek as she squeezed her eyes shut. She turned away from her two kids and broke down sobbing.

"Hurry back soon, Yusuke…"

---

NEXT TIME – SANYO AND KAKUGAI!

-crazykitsune17-


	6. Sanyo and Kakugai

A/N: To make up for the ridiculousy short Chapter 5… Please enjoy! 

**6. Sanyo and Kakugai**

The group stood in front of Kakugai's fortress a little while longer, admiring its crystalline, icy beauty. It's a shame that someone so evil makes his residence in a place so beautiful, Kurama thought sadly as the sun glared off the ice on the building, creating a blinding beam of white light in the sky.

"Hn. Let's stop gawking at the building and go in already," Hiei said, leading the group across the ice-covered walkway to the front gate. The rest of the team nodded, following Hiei, being careful not to slip on the ice-coated path which Hiei seemed to have no trouble with.

About twenty feet from the entrance, Kurama put his arm out to stop the rest of the group.

"What's wrong?" asked Yukina worriedly.

"We must be careful," Kurama said cautiously. "I'm sure Kakugai has guards surrounding the perimeter. We have to be on the alert and ready for when they attack."

Yukina's heart melted for Kurama as she heard him speak. This must be so hard for him, having to go straight to the place where the killer of his wife is waiting for him. And yet, he is so businesslike – careful, alert, and intelligent. If I were in his shoes, I'm not sure if I would be able to fight any of the guards, if there are any…

Just seconds after Kurama had spoken and warned them all of guards and traps, about twenty men in American military uniforms stomped out from seemingly nowhere. The fighters of the group readied themselves in defensive positions, yet ready to attack at any moment. The non-fighters, Yukina and Koenma, stepped back.

"Don't you think it's a bit odd that since Kakugai wanted us to come to his fortress, he's treating us like intruders?" Yukina asked Koenma.

"You have to understand," Koenma replied casually as Hiei, Kurama, Yusuke, and Kuwabara made short work of the fortress guards, "that it's Standard Bad Guy Policy to always have a set of guards around your large, evil, dwelling."

"I see…"

---

"That was too easy," said Kurama as he pushed aside a half-conscious guard and rejoined the rest of the group ahead of him. "I'm sure there are more guards and traps waiting for us."

"Gee, aren't you optimistic?" Yusuke said jokingly, but he knew Kurama was right – as he usually was. Their "infiltration" of Kakugai's fortress was not going to be a simple task.

And just as Kurama had suspected, there were about twenty more military guards waiting in front of the fortress gate. These guards had guns and grenades, but, like before, the Reikai Tantei took care of them before they could use their weapons. Finally, it was time to enter the dark fortress…

The gate swung open, revealing a large, metal, ice-covered door in front of them. A shadow was cast over the from the awning above that was decorated by perfect, lethal-looking icicles, making it look more ominous and uninviting.

"I dare somebody to lick the door," Yusuke said.

"Okay!" Kuwabara advanced toward the icy, frozen door, tongue sticking out like a panting puppy, but Yusuke pulled him back.

"I was just kidding, you idiot," said Yusuke.

"Hn. You should've let him lick it," Hiei said. "Then he could get stuck, and we could leave him there. We're better off going in without him. He would only slow us down."

"Hey, Shortie-punk!" Kuwabara yelled, grabbing Hiei by the same old white scarf that he had been wearing since probably the beginning of time and shaking him. Unfortunately, Kuwabara lost his balance as he shook Hiei back and forth and fell flat on his rear on the ice, bringing Hiei with him.

"Grr!" Hiei growled at having been picked up like a child, shaken, and then brought down on top of his worst enemy and quickly stood up, unsheathing his sword.

"Hiei, calm down," Kurama said, putting a hand on Hiei's shoulder, slightly irritated. "Forget about him, and let's just go in…"

"You got lucky, fool," Hiei hissed, re-sheathing his blade. "Let this be a lesson to you never to touch me again, or I will slice off your nose and give it to my son as a toy."

_I think the fact that they're in-laws has made them even more spiteful to each other_, Yukina thought nervously as she and Koenma followed the rest of the group into the fortress…

---

The group stepped into a large foyer room with pristine, cream-colored tile floors that seemed to sparkle with a giant, fragile chandelier perched on the ceiling. The lights were dim, casting the back of the huge room into a dark, black shadow. The group heard footsteps – coming from the shadow, obviously – and once again, readied themselves with their weapons.

The footsteps came closer and started moving faster, matching the pace of Kurama's beating heart. He wasn't nervous or scared; instead he was angry, and his heart was pumping blood quicker from rage. This was the man that killed Keiko… This was Kakugai…

"So," said the voice that no doubt belonged to the person still hidden in the shadows – Kakugai. His voice was cool and oddly familiar to one person in the group. "It seems like dear Kurama has decided to bring his friends with him," he continued. "Good thing I had guards, otherwise you all would've gotten in too easily, and I wouldn't want that."

"What do you want, Kakugai?" Kurama demanded angrily, his face contorting with rage as he tried not to growl at him. "Show yourself!"

Kakugai let out a small little chuckle as he replied, "As you wish." Kakugai stepped out from the shadows, his face coming into the light shed from the expensive chandelier. He was a very tall person, his face pale and slender, his eyes black as night, and his hair both blonde and black, every other long spike alternating colors. He wore a tiny smirk on his face, one that matched the casual, laid-back posture he had.

Hiei gasped, then quickly covered it with a snarl. "It's you!" he shouted, narrowing his eyes at the person in front of them. "Sanyo!"

Kakugai – or rather, Sanyo – broadened his smirk and replied to Hiei with a simple, "Yes. That's right, Hiei. I am Sanyo."

NEXT TIME – WOMEN ON A MISSION!


	7. Women on a Mission

**7. Women on a Mission**

_"Daddy is in trouble… He will be hurt… On his mission… Daddy will get hurt…"_

Shizuru remembered Samaru's ominous warning he had said nearly an hour earlier. She knew Hiei was strong and could handle things, and she probably wouldn't take Samaru seriously if she didn't know that his predictions were about 95 percent of the time correct. _What if he really _is _in danger…?_ she thought as she stared up at the ceiling of her house as she lay alone in bed. Picking up a cigarette and her lighter, she hastily lit up and quickly went through a few smokes. Sighing, she snuffed her last one out in the ashtray on the bedside table and swung her legs over the side of the bed.

Pulling on a dark red, sleeveless shirt over her silk undershirt, Shizuru made up her mind. She was going to go find Hiei… _But I can't leave Samaru here by himself_… she thought, biting her lower lip. _I guess I'll just have to bring him with me. Who knows? Maybe he can help…_

She walked quickly to Samaru's bedroom and pushed open the door. There was a loud creaking sound as the old, wooden door swung open, revealing Samaru, half-asleep, silhouetted in the eerie moonlight.

"Samaru…" Shizuru called. "Samaru…"

Samaru's periwinkle-blue eyes snapped open and he rolled over under the covers to stare at his mother. He blinked, his way of saying, "What is it?"

"Samaru, honey, come on…" Shizuru walked further into Samaru's room and held out her hand. "We're going to go look for Daddy."

Samaru sat up, his head cocking to one side, letting his whitish-gray hair fall past his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do that?" he asked cryptically in his quiet, portentous voice.

Shizuru hesitated for a moment. She didn't like the way Samaru had said "Are you sure you want to do that?"… it sounded very foreboding… After a minute's pause, however, Shizuru answered, "Yes." _I won't lose another man in my life! I can't! Not now after all these years…_ "But we won't be going alone," she assured her son, who only blankly stared back at her. "I'm going to call my friend Botan; she can help us."

---

The phone rang in Botan's duplex late that night. Botan's two children, Talya and Michiru, were sound asleep on air mattresses that they had brought from Luna's, and Botan was the only one up. _Please don't let it be the landlord or the bank…_ Botan moaned.

She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Botan? It's Shizuru."

"Hello, Shizuru…" _What could _she _want…? And at _this_ hour…?_

"Listen, you know about that mission that Hiei and Yusuke were sent on, don't you?" Shizuru asked on the other end.

"Er… yeah…" Botan sighed, not really wanting to be reminded of it.

"My son Samaru had given me a warning earlier tonight," Shizuru said, "and now we're going to try to go find him."

"But why?"

"I want to make sure… make sure he's safe," Shizuru finished quietly. "I'm worried about him."

Botan said nothing.

Shizuru continued, "Anyway, Botan, my question is, could you give us a lift to Spirit World? We're going to try to find out where they went."

"But, Shizuru… I can't leave my kids here!" Botan cried.

"Chill out, keep your shirt on, Botan," said Shizuru. "I'm sure we can dump 'em at Luna's house, couldn't we? Please, I really want to see Hiei!"

Botan sighed. "All right… I'll come and pick you up in a few minutes…"

---

"You mean Koenma went with them?" Botan asked Koenma's blue ogre, Jorge, when the three of them flew into Spirit World on her oar. "He's not here?"

"No, and he left Jorge all alone…" Jorge wiped away his tears and sniffed. "Jorge wanted to come with…"

"There, there…" Botan comforted the poor, lonely ogre with a pat on the shoulder, then asked him, "Well, do you know where he went?"

"He went to some guy named Kakugai's house in northern Alaska."

"I see…" Shizuru said with a nod. "Come on, Botan, Samaru, let's go…"

---

A/N: This chapter was boring, yes, but it was one of those obnoxious-yet-necessary fillers. The next one will be better.

NEXT TIME – BROKEN FRIENDSHIP!


End file.
